Credentialing Program Assistant

Summary

The Medical Staff Office is responsible for the C&P process of VAMC clinical services providers and functions are critical to patient safety and to assuring the quality of patient care provided by the VAMC. Program Support Assistant (Credentialing) ensures compliance with VHA policies - directives - memos - and notices. Responsible for collecting relevant data and making informed decisions to ensure that qualified healthcare professionals provide appropriate care in the appropriate settings.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/02/2026. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: assisting C&P Manager in drafting local credentialing processes and Medical Staff Bylaws in compliance with all applicable regulations; managing provider applications for privileges and privilege renewal; providing guidance and instruction to hospital staff in completing the required documentation for establishing privileges - ensuring primary source verification - including - but not limited to - state licenses - DEA licenses - certifications - medical specialty training - and board certifications; reviewing documents and applications for omissions and inconsistencies - ensuring data entry is complete and accurate; and documenting details of privileging actions - both routine and adverse - in detail with the accuracy necessary for defending appeals to higher authority. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards - please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Duties

• Incumbent serves as the subject matter expert (SME) to LIPs and Service Chiefs on routine and complex matters related to C&P - including provider competence for the ongoing provider practice evaluation (OPPE) and focused provider practice evaluation (FPPE)
• Duties include - but are not limited to: Program Analysis and Support Assists in developing short- and long-term goals necessary to accomplish the mission
• Serves as SME in the field of credentials and clinical privileging
• Assists in drafting local credentialing processes and Medical Staff Bylaws in compliance with all applicable regulations
• Receives and reviews VetPro reports to identify problem areas that require further investigation
• Ensures accurate provider data is entered into and maintained in the VetPro computer program
• Ensures current information is present on providers relative to state licensure - Drug Enforcement Organization (DEA) license - National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Continuous Query (CQ) enrollments and renewals - Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) - documentation of professional education - specialty medical training - certifications - adverse licensure or privileging actions - initial and renewal of privileges which may affect the status of privileges granted for medical practice
• Holds the credit card and is responsible for maintaining records - reconciling monthly charge statements and verifying legitimacy of requests for NPDB CQ enrollments/ renewals - licensure verification (if applicable) - Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates - American Medical Association - FSMB - National Student Clearing House - Work Number and - board certification (if applicable)
• Compliance Manages provider applications for LIPs C&P within the VAMC
• Must have a broad knowledge of medical specialties and core privileges and is the technical advisor to clinical leadership and assures that complete documentation is available to support privileges granted to providers within their training and/or experience
• Provides guidance and instruction to hospital staff in completing the required documentation for establishing privileges for LIPs
• Quality Assurance Ensures that application packages and other documents meet the technical requirements specific to the provider's specialty and verifies that the application folder and database account comply with these requirements
• Communicates with LIPs to assure timely completion of applications and VetPro requirements
• Provides oversight of the application process - analyzes exceptions and deviations from the expected process - determines the course of action - and makes recommendations
• Analyzes and manages issues related to documents that do not meet expected requirements - regulations - or guidelines - such as malpractice claims - adverse actions against licensures and/or certifications - FSMB reports - and National NPDB CQ reports
• Coordinates incoming data from a variety of sources
• establishes protocols for incoming data
• organizes computerized data sets
• and retrieves computerized data
• Participates in the required annual C&P self-assessment and - if opportunities for improvement are identified - is involved in efforts to implement these improvements
• Program Advisor Serves as technical advisor to the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff (ECMS) and the Credentials Committee
• Refers to current issues - trends - problem areas - as well as recommended program revisions to Credentials and Privileging functions through the C&P Manager/Analyst
• Prepares agendas for credential-related meetings
• Responsibility to ensure LIPs credentials files are adequately prepared - maintained appropriately - and are accurate and current
• Conducts audits of provider time-limited credentials and ensures that detailed information is documented on provider exit review forms - privileging documents - FPPE and OPPE tracking system - credentialing program training requirements - telehealth providers monitoring system - and Committee recommended actions
• Conducts final appointment into the VetPro database - after thoroughly researching - analyzing - and validating all data - information - documents - and signature authorities
• Develops and provides routine and special reports as requested by the C&P Manager/Analyst
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8am-4:30pm Telework: AD-HOC only Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Credentialing Program Assistant/PD50453A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized